Stephan Dahl

Intercultural Research: The Current State of Knowledge

This paper gives a short overview of the main concepts and theories in intercultural and cross-cultural communication, thus providing a brief introduction into the field of empirical research into culture-based value variations and providing a short outline of the major works in this area (e.g. the works of Hall, Hofstede, Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, and Schwartz).

Turnitin[R]: The Student Perspective on Using Plagiarism Detection Software

Recently there has been an increasing interest in plagiarism detection systems, such as the web-based Turnitin system. However, no study has so far tried to look at how students react towards those...Recently there has been an increasing interest in plagiarism detection systems, such as the web-based Turnitin system. However, no study has so far tried to look at how students react towards those systems being used. This exploratory study examines the attitudes of students on a postgraduate module after using Turnitin as their standard way of submitting work and getting feedback. Overall, students reacted positively towards the system. However, the study also found evidence of a group of students who were less positive, which seemed to be a result of their insecurity about how to quote correctly.

Analysing Advergames: Active Diversions or Actually Deception

We review the nature of advergames and the rhetoric versus reality of their claimed effects and effectiveness, focussing specifically on their use by children. We use consumer behaviour theories such as the persuasion knowledge model to provide a theoretically-grounded framework for understanding the effect of advergames and other forms of interactive marketing communication on consumer groups that are perceived as being more vulnerable to commercial pressures than the wider population. Existing broadcasting codes of practice for mainstream advertising are used to evaluate the content of websites that are likely to have particular appeal to children in order to determine whether the material contained in these sites would be permitted if similar codes of practice were applied to electronic communications. Managerial and policy maker implications conclude the paper.

Regulation of nutrition and health claims in advertising

ABSTRACT This article reviews the intentions and assumptions underlying calls for greater regulation of nutrition and health claims in food advertising and examines the likely impact of new European regulations on health-related claims. After providing a review of the literature concerning regulatory effectiveness and on nutritional and health-related claims in advertising, we present a qualitative analysis of television advertisements aired on British television using a coding framework based on recently approved European Union regulations. There is little reason to expect health-related claims in food advertising to become clearer to consumers as a result of the regulations.

Persuading young consumers to make healthy nutritional decisions

Abstract There is widespread concern that consumers are making inappropriate decisions about what they eat, leading to a growing incidence of obesity and chronic illness, which will strain public-health budgets and damage economic competitiveness. Inappropriate nutritional decisions and obesity are of particular public-policy importance where young consumers are concerned. The paper investigates how consumers, particularly young consumers, can be persuaded to make better nutritional decisions voluntarily, and how government and commercial persuasive communications can be deployed to facilitate such decisions. The key conclusions are that the mass media are not a reliable vehicle for bringing about the desired behavioural changes, but that new media, such as the Internet and ‘text messaging’, should be used to deliver tailored messages to individuals, particularly younger consumers.

Current themes in social marketing research: text-mining the past five years.

Social marketing has advanced rapidly from its beginnings almost 40 years ago. This commentary takes a look at the current themes in published social marketing research by using text-mining to analyze articles published in the past 5 years. It also discusses the areas for future research, especially the need for published social marketing research to expand from mostly health-related application to other areas.

Integrated marketing communications and social marketing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the view of integrated marketing communications (IMC) by social marketing practitioners. Specifically, the paper furthers the discussion how a symbiotic relationship between IMC and social marketing can lead to both practical improvements of health-related social marketing campaigns, as well as theoretical advancement of the IMC construct. Design/methodology/approach – Based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with practitioners, the authors provide exploratory evidence for support for IMC within the social marketing community and highlight potential differences and similarities when transferring IMC from a commercial to a social context. Findings – Three main differences emerged when transferring IMC from a commercial to a social context. These include differences of customer-centric approaches between commercial and social marketing, the need to weigh out the application of IMC to the charity brand or the use of IMC at a behavioural level and, finall...

Is food advertising culture-bound?: contradictory results from three European countries

The objective of this study was to examine the proposition frequently noted in the extant literature that food advertising is culture-bound. Print advertisements for food, from Poland, Ireland and England, were content-analysed using Pollays (1983) value appeals, linked to The objective of this study was to examine the proposition frequently noted in the extant literature that food advertising is culture-bound. Print advertisements for food, from Poland, Ireland and England, were content-analysed using Pollays (1983) value appeals, linked to GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness) dimensions. Data analysis revealed that there were both differences and similarities in value appeals usage; however, these variations could not be related to, or explained with, cultural dimensions. These results contradict the proposition that food advertising is one of the most culture-bound forms of advertising. They suggest that advertisers seldom use culturally congruent appeals in food advertisements. Further research is needed to determine how these differences and similarities may be explained.

Empowering or misleading? Online health information provision challenges

Purpose Patient empowerment (PE) is a key public health policy tool globally which is seen as unproblematic, but contains a number of unwarranted assumptions and unrecognised challenges to achieving effective implementation. Further, the theoretical foundations for understanding the impact of persuasive health communications on PE are weak. The purpose of this paper is to review these factors and to highlight major areas of concern. Design/methodology/approach First, the assumptions underpinning empowerment and the implicit theoretical foundations for active health information seeking behaviours are reviewed. This is then followed by a readability analysis of internet-based material relating to two general medical conditions, four chronic medical conditions and six patient information leaflets which was conducted to explore issues relation to the provision and readability of online health information. Findings The assumptions underpinning expectations of policy makers and health organisations regarding active health information seeking are shown to be problematic, with several potential impediments to effective PE implementation, including the fact that almost all of the online material reviewed is written in language too complex for the majority of the general public to comprehend, let alone act on. Practical implications Recommendations are made for guiding information seeking and a research agenda is outlined that would aid in strengthening theoretical underpinnings, expand knowledge and thereby help inform practice and policy debate regarding how PE can be improved. Originality/value This paper contributes to understanding of the challenges of effective health communication in the digital age by highlighting the need for a greater understanding of online health information seeking and the impact of limited health literacy and numeracy.

Golden moves: : developing a transtheoretical model-based social marketing intervention in an elderly population

Social marketing is increasingly being used by public and nonprofit organizations to deliver behavior change objectives. Drawing on the example of physical activity for the over 65s, we show how social marketing techniques can deliver a physical activity program for a priority group that has so far received little attention. In this study, conducted in the United Kingdom, we use a grounded theory approach to understand motivational factors and perceived barriers and to determine the types of messages and message channels that could be used for a potential social marketing–based intervention. We show how the findings of this pilot study can be used to develop such an intervention, and present a modeled intervention, based on the transtheoretical model of behavior change.